1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices adapted to facilitate the female urination process while in a standing or crouched position, and more particularly to a disposable urine control device provided in a compact folded easily carryable configuration prior to use.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, females urinate while seated atop an open commode or toilet having an appropriate ring-shaped seat provided for supporting the buttocks area of the female. However, in situations of public use of such facilities, cleanliness is frequently a problem. The use of such public facilities carries with it the risk of infection from an ever-broadening array of bacteria and virus and generally unclean prior usage thereof.
Additionally, in other parts of the world, a seating commode suitable for urination by a female is not even available. Merely a portal into which urine is to be discharged is provided which easily leads to the inadvertent spreading of urine onto skin, clothing and shoes. Moreover, in situations where a female is requested to provide a urine specimen for medical purposes, the inconvenience associated therewith may easily lead to the spreading of urine in inappropriate places.
A number of prior art devices have been patented which disclose structure adapted to facilitate female urination in a controlled fashion. These devices are structured to be manually held in place while in a standing or crouching position and being able to direct urine flow into an appropriate facility or receptacle. These patents are shown herebelow:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,407,872LacyU.S. Pat. No. 1,510,973BehanU.S. Pat. No. 2,878,486Bartlett, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,122Gross, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,216LiU.S. Pat. No. 4,296,502BortleU.S. Pat. No. 4,496,355Hall, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,245Lowd, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,573McGovern, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,029Zieve, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,484MozellU.S. Pat. No. 4,937,890TafurU.S. Pat. No. 5,091,998IrazabalU.S. Pat. No. 5,333,330MurtaghU.S. Pat. No. 5,370,637BrodeurU.S. Pat. No. 5,408,703CicioU.S. Pat. No. 5,687,429RahiffU.S. Pat. No. 5,742,948CicioU.S. Pat. No. 5,893,176Magiera, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,691Karavani, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,891WilsonU.S. Pat. No. 6,202,225Beck, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,200Mottale, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,198Lipman, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,355MutkeU.S. Pat. No. 6,547,771Robertson, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,716,181Spencer, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,741ChingU.S. Pat. No. 6,814,719Preston, et al.U.S. Pat. No. D310,124KnowlesU.S. Pat. No. D379,225Canahuate, et al.The detractive aspect of reusable devices of this nature, however, is that they are not easily carryable and must be dried or cleaned or rinsed after use so as to prevent odor build-up and inadvertent urine moisture being spread about after use.
To overcome this limitation of cleanliness after use, a number of prior art devices have previously been patented which are directed to single-use disposable urination devices for the female as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,046TowfighU.S. Pat. No. 4,734,941DeWitt, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,751RenoU.S. Pat. No. 4,857,064MendozaU.S. Pat. No. 5,243,712CrossU.S. Pat. No. 5,330,453CornellierU.S. Pat. No. 5,401,263CornellierU.S. Pat. No. 5,966,748Young, et al.U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,932WagnerU.S. Pat. No. 6,327,716KausU.S. Pat. No. 6,434,757Filsouf
Noteworthy as it applies to the present invention, U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,064 teaches a feminine disposable urinating device having both an elongated absorbent layer attached to a longer liquid-impermeable layer and a complex partition structure associated with a flexible tubular conduit having a flange at one end disposed between the partition and the absorbent layer. The urinal cone disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,716 is formed from an essentially triangular shape in the collapsed configuration into a funnel-shaped body which is disposable following use. The obvious benefit of the disposable aspect of these prior art patents is the after-urination cleanliness and cleanup which is simply dealt with by the disposal of the device promptly after use.
The present invention also teaches a single-use disposable urine control device which is manually appliable to cover the labia majora area of the female and preferably includes one or two sealing beads which upwardly extend from a pliable, flexible hand-sized panel or layer to insure that urine discharging is contained and either partially absorbed and/or directed to an appropriate facility or receptacle. Additionally, the unique folding features of the invention facilitate packaging one or several of these urine control devices in a compact form ready for one-time use and disposal after use.